"Welcome to Manchester! Here’s some training gear, you’re gonna need it. See you Saturday," Ibrahimovic wrote. Bravo went to zero when he dropped a clanger and Ibrahimovic elegantly punished him with a scissored strike.

Since then, though, Ibrahimovic has squandered numerous opportunities more routine than his last Premier League strike. Within five minutes of his derby volley, he had nodded harmlessly at Bravo when unmarked and, after the calamitous Chilean spilled the ball, tamely prodded the ball towards goal with just John Stones guarding the net. United lost 2-1.

Eight days later, Ibrahimovic hit the side, rather than the back, of the net at Watford with the game goalless. United lost 3-1. Against Leicester, he blazed over from Paul Pogba's elegant dink in an otherwise clinical United display. When Stoke visited, the Swede inexplicably went for the near post when the far corner was gaping. United's profligacy that day gifted Stoke a draw.

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At Anfield, Ibrahimovic diverted a presentable header away from goal and then, at Chelsea, his noggin failed to find the target with United trailing 1-0.

It is of little comfort for an egomaniac like Ibrahimovic that he is getting chances, unlike Radamel Falcao two seasons ago. But what exacerbates his impotence is it is costing United points. He has spurned routine chances on a weekly basis in the Premier League over the last six weeks and it has coincided with United recording one victory from their last six.

Falcao resembled Diego Forlan at his United nadir

Chris Smalling caused as much uproar among Mancunians as Justin Bieber with his performance but the significance of Ibrahimovic's miss should not be understated. The game was only eight minutes old when he met Antonio Valencia's centre and had the ball looped in United would have swiftly killed Chelsea's momentum.

United signed a formidable figurehead in Ibrahimovic to ease their goalscoring concerns. In the last three seasons, no United player has hit the 20-goal mark and Ibrahimovic should still reach that target - the minimum for a striker whose four seasons in Ligue 1 ended with tallies of 33, 32, 23 and 29.

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Manchester United - key information

Ligue 1, for Paris Saint-Germain players, is tantamount to uncompetitive sport and it partly explains why the cowardly Angel di Maria fled there to flourish. Hull reject Hatem ben Arfa's year at Nice convinced PSG to sign him in the summer.

Ibrahimovic adapted seamlessly to the Premier League, striking four goals in his first four appearances but the margins are finer in England than across the Channel. He could afford to miss chances in Ligue 1 since PSG were playing against poverty - they won the title by 31 points last term and Ibrahimovic's longest scoreless stretch in the league was two games. His worst drought in Ligue 1 was four and at United it extended to five Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge.

Ibrahimovic is squandering too many chances

The Premier League is not, on the basis of standards, the best league in the world but it is perhaps the most competitive and its cutthroat nature has sharpened since the deluge of young and foreign coaches, starting with Mauricio Pochettino, arrived.

Ibrahimovic has a closer bond with Jose Mourinho than Wayne Rooney but that does not entitle him to teflon status. Rooney might be so immobile he would not move into the positions to meet Pogba's passes, but Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford would have put away that early chance against Stoke and the young strikers might be about to apply pressure on another 30-something goalscorer.

After the game at Chelsea, Ibrahimovic refused to stop in the mixed zone until he noticed his old AC Milan teammate Massimo Ambrosini and his miss in front of United's raucous support in the Shed End did not appear to be playing on his mind as he enjoyed a joke with the Italian. Footballers are not contractually bound to appear morose in defeat but Ibrahimovic is maybe too comfortable at United, aware he is the biggest presence and personality who enjoys the closest relationship with the coach.

Ibrahimovic played for Mourinho at Internazionale

Mourinho is culpable. Ibrahimovic was isolated at Liverpool and Chelsea in games United were set up to play reticently and their No.9 was more proactive in the 4-3-3 formation versus Leicester and Stoke.

Wisely rested against Fenerbahce, another 'rest' for City's visit might give Ibrahimovic a reality check. Against Feyenoord last month, Rooney remained in Manchester but the under-performing replacements gave Mourinho no excuse to drop his captain at Watford that weekend.

Martial or Rashford might do and deserve the chance to relegate Ibrahimovic to the bench. Rashford has floundered on the flank in recent games and would relish a return to the tip of the arrow, while Martial's composed finishing against Fenerbahce and Stoke suggests he would be an ideal centre forward at a time United are, domestically, going backwards.